[Congenital cerebellar ataxia: a comparative study of clinical data and morphometrical findings of CT and MRI].

We reported clinical features and CT, MRI findings on cerebellum and brain stem in nine patients with congenital cerebellar ataxia (CCA) which was diagnosed by Hagberg's criteria. The patients were aged from 2 years to 14 years; five males and four females. CT and MRI were performed in nine cases and six cases, respectively. The patients were compared with sixty normal controls on CT, and with eight normal controls on MRI, aged from 1 year to 15 years. Five cases without perinatal brain insults showed abnormal findings in the cerebellum on CT and MRI. One case out of five cases showed abnormal finding only by MRI and not apparent by CT. Four cases with neonatal asphyxia did not show abnormal findings in the cerebellum. But the measurements of CT and MRI disclosed slightly abnormal values. Cerebrum and brain stem were though to be almost normal except for cavum Vergae of one case. There were no close correlation between clinical symptoms and abnormal findings in the cerebellum on CT and MRI. The etiology of CCA was thought to be heterogeneous, judging from CT and MRI. At least there were two causes; prenatal brain insults and perinatal brain insults. The degree of cerebellar lesion was thought to be various by its etiology.